This app will keep you entertained on the longest of flights

Whenever I’m on a long flight, no matter how many books I bring or movies I watch, I always end up staring out the window or trying to force myself to sleep out of pure boredom.

Well, Flyover Country is a new app for iOS and Android that wants to help ease the boredom of long flights by making them more interesting. The app works similarly to the screen you see on the headrests of airplane seats that shows you where in the world you’re flying over.

Flyover Country takes it a step further by giving you not only your plane’s exact location, but showing points of interest on the land beneath you and interesting information about the area. It uses maps and data from a number of geological and paleontological databases to show you everything you need to know about the land beneath your plane.

It works offline, using cached data and your phone’s GPS, so you don’t need to rely on dodgy in-flight Wi-Fi to enjoy it.

As you fly, you’ll be able to pinpoint natural and man-made features, like mines, rivers and glaciers, and read articles on the area below.

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While it’s main purpose is for use on flights, you could also use it when you’re out for a hike or on a long car, bus or train journey as well.

The aim of Flyover Country is to educate people, not just scientists, about the world around them, so it’s a fascinating tool to have on your phone and to be able to dip in and out of.

So if you’ve got a long flight ahead, this will surely keep you entertained between trolley services.